NEAL, HUGH E. AND MARY (GIBSON)

by Hazel Neal Genau

Entry F308 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

My mother, Mary Gibson and father H.E.
Neal (called Elmer) were married as also
Frank Doyle and his wife, in Hyannis in 1900.
My father and his brother, John Luther Neal,
who married Mary Herncall and the sister-in-
laws, Mary E..or Mary Lew. Our homes were
one mile apart and at first we walked to
school until we could ride a horse good
enough. Mr. John Garrett was our County
Superintendent. Uncle Lew Neal's family all
finished High School in Mullen, Nebraska.

My Aunt Sarah Gibson married Tom
Haney, who lived one and half miles south of
the Dismal River (a creek we used to call it)
and we picked lots of wild fruit there.

My parents moved to Thomas County
when I was a baby in 1902 with my sisters,
Helen White, Clara Neal, and Doris Petrie.
Minnie Wilson was born in Seneca. We used
to take train 43 up to Mullen for 11 cents, stay
with my Grandmother, Ellen Gibson and
back home on train 44, again for 11 cents.

We moved back to Hooker County. Pearl
(Mike) Gibson, Fern Haney, Helen Neal, and
Hazel Neal Ginau, all finished training in the
Lod Lister Hospital in Omaha as well as Sis
Walker, who since has died. I finished my
training in 1927.

My father was killed in 1918 when he fell
from a load of hay and is buried in the Eclipse
Cemetery. We lived just one-half mile west
and thirteen miles south of the old Bob
Shimmin place and one mile north of the
County line.

Oh yes, I remember riding `old Billy' to
Mullen to get a tooth filled by Dr. Lane, who
I think later moved to North Platte. I
remember the Barnebey's south of town and
Cleavenger Lane south of town, too. My
father worked for Haskels and the White
Water, Sammy Sike's that lived in the west
part of the county. My Uncle Lew sheared
sheep at Douglas and where my youngest
brother found the graves of Mr. and Mrs.
Davis and also another brother in the ceme-
tery at Douglas.